Catch The Stars
by Kohaku no Hime
Summary: "Can you catch de sda-wers fow me?" Set different times in canon and precanon, no pairings.
1. Can You Catch The Stars?

_I have no idea where this came from._

_I was reading Alister's Girlfriend's story, "Under the Stars," when this plot bunny hit me over the head with a carrot and commanded me to write it. As a result, we have another Ishtar centered fic (that's surprising, considering that it's been a while since I wrote about anybody besides the bikers). This one is short, non-yaoi, fluff-ish, and leave reviews on your way out. FYI, Marik's dialogue is going to be a little hard to understand, but it should be easy enough to figure out._

* * *

"Wishid! Wishid, come hee-wer!"

The Egyptian three year old child giggled madly in euphoric joy. He was almost dancing on the sandy floor, impatiently watching his elder brother walk toward him in bemusement. "Huwwy, Wishid, huwwy!"

"Master Marik? What is it?" asked Rishid, blinking as the small boy grasped his hand and began bodily dragging him forward with all of his strength. Ishizu had gone to bed a while ago, and Marik was supposed to be in bed as well.

"Quick, Wishid, you see dis! P'ease, Wishid, _huwwy_!!" said Marik insistently, tugging on Rishid's hand jerkily.

Marik dragged his brother all the way down the torch- lit sandstone hallway, giggling the whole way. Rishid did not even try to resist him; he was all too used to his brother's unusual whims. "What has you so excited, Master Marik?" he asked.

"You see when ged de-wer, Wishid! Bud you huwwy, or dey won' be de-wer!" replied Marik, his lavender eyes glimmering in the firelight from the torches.

Rishid chuckled. "All right, Master Marik. I'm walking as fast as I can," he replied, his golden eyes twinkling in amusement.

Marik took Rishid all the way down the corridors, winding through them with an amazing sense of direction. The two Egyptians ended up in a large stone cavern, beneath an open well cover. The moonlight bathed the sand in a soft light, making it appear to be made of silver. Rishid knew where they had ended up, but he was not sure what his younger brother had seen.

"Wook, Wishid!" cried Marik suddenly, pointing towards the night sky with eyes filled with wonder. "Pweddy wighds up de-wer. Whad wighds awe dey, bwother?"

Rishid looked up at the night sky silently, not answering Marik's question at first. Marik tugged on his brother's tunic impatiently, and when Rishid looked down he asked, "Wishid, whad awe pweddy wighds?"

"…They're called stars, Master Marik."

Marik's eyes widened. "Sda-wers? Whad dad?"

Rishid went silent again, thinking over his answer; most likely, he was trying to think of a way to make his young brother understand what they were. At length, he said, "You know how we use our candles to give us light?"

Marik nodded, looking at Rishid attentively.

"Well, stars are the skies' candles. The moon, you see, is virtually helpless in the dark without them, even though it is so bright; it can only see so far. Stars light up the night sky to help the moon rise, the same way our candles guide us."

There was a long but comfortable silence, in which neither of them said a word. They just silently watched the stars overhead, reveling in their beauty.

"Can you catch de sda-wers fow me?"

Rishid looked down at his younger brother in surprise. "What, Master Marik?"

"Can you catch de sda-wers fow me, Wishid?" Marik repeated his question slowly and solemnly, lavender eyes filled with longing as he gazed at the sky.

"I don't know…" began Rishid doubtfully.

"Pwease, bwudder, twy! Twy fow me!" begged Marik earnestly, a pleading expression on his face.

Rishid did not respond for a moment, contemplating on the sight above him. Then, silently, his hands lifted into the air and he stood taller, even going up on his tiptoes as he reached for the faintly twinkling lights above them. A few seconds later, Rishid dropped his hands and glanced apologetically at Marik.

"Sorry, Master Marik—they are too far away."

Marik's face fell slightly, but he replied, "It a'wight, bwudder. I knowed you cou'nt weach."

The small child looked up at the stars, his smile replaced by a somber look. "Wishid, why awe sda-wers so faw 'way? Why awen't dey down here?"

Rishid looked down at his brother sadly. "Because, little one, their place is in the sky."

"…so den, owr pwace is he-were?"

Rishid nodded, his eyes softening as he watched Marik's face fall. "I'm sorry, Master Marik," he said simply.

The blonde child looked up at the night sky, his eyes filling with a look that was full of wonder and longing; he imitated Rishid's earlier actions, keeping his hands raised as if the stars would really descend to his open palms.

"I wish I was up dere," Marik said softly, reaching to the sky with a forlorn expression on his face.

Rishid said nothing, but his eyes spoke the same message.

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_There's probably going to be another chapter to this, which is why I won't post it as complete for a while. But I am not sure if I should...reviewers? What do you think?_


	2. Stars Come Down

_After much contemplation, I have it: the second part to this oneshot._

_It took a while, since I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but one of my plot bunnies hit me yesterday after I updated, "Come Together" and I found I could write the second half to this. I may come back and change a few things later, but for now here it is; there may even be a third part, possibly. Readers, what do you think?_

_Thanks for sticking with me on this!_

* * *

Marik sighed sadly to himself as he peeked out from his room, noticing a shadow on the wall from the Guard patrolling near the entrance to the passageway.

Ever since Marik had shown Rishid the stars he'd been secretly returning to the tunnel after everyone had gone to bed, staring up for hours at the night sky above him with wonder. Unfortunately, last week his father found out about Marik's late night excursions and forbade him from setting foot in that room at night. Marik had tried to visit the tunnel, but found that his father had placed a member of the Guard there to block all attempts from going there again, and the child had been forced to give up.

That didn't stop the now five year old Egyptian child from still wanting to see the stars.

He kicked at his bedpost in frustration, his lavender eyes blinking back tears. It wasn't fair; the stars were above ground, but Marik himself was still in the Tomb Keeper's home. He hadn't left, and he hadn't broken any rules—why then wouldn't his father allow him to see the stars? And why couldn't the stars come to him? Couldn't they come down for just one night? Rishid had said something about them not being able to, but he wanted to see the stars up close.

Speaking of which, why wasn't Rishid ever able to play with him anymore? Ever since his father had banned Marik from going back to the room Rishid had been busy with some secret task; when his father wasn't working the Egyptian man half to death, Rishid was busy in his room doing something that Marik wasn't allowed to look at.

What was worse, it was his birthday today. Ishizu had made him _kushari _for dinner as a special treat and had woven a new blanket for him, but neither of the two Ishtar siblings had seen Rishid at the table. Marik wanted Rishid to pay attention to him, not be busy with work. But Father would not allow the golden-eyed Egyptian to leave his tasks at all, despite all of Marik's cajoling. He wanted to see Rishid again, when the older man wasn't busy and was able to play with him

At that moment, however, Rishid himself slipped into the room. "You're supposed to be asleep, Master Marik," he chided with tired amusement. The reprimand was only half-hearted, however; lately, Master Ishtar had been working Rishid until the Egyptian could hardly see.

Marik instantly brightened. "Rishid!" he cried, slipping from the bed to hug his older brother around the waist. "You're not working anymore!"

Rishid, in spite of being utterly exhausted, brought one of his arms from behind his back and returned the hug awkwardly. Marik frowned, noticing that his brother had various bandages wrapped around his hand, but he did not comment on it.

"I'm sorry I haven't had time lately to play with you, Master Marik," Rishid said simply, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "But to make up for it I brought you something."

Marik looked back up at Rishid curiously. "Really?"

"Of course. How could I forget my brother's birthday?" replied the older Egyptian with amusement, crossing over to where Marik's candle was flickering. He switched whatever he'd been holding behind his back to the front of his body, preventing Marik from seeing it.

He turned halfway back to Marik and said, "Close your eyes for a moment."

The five year old blinked. "Why?"

"Because it's a surprise. It won't be if you look."

Marik pouted but complied with his brother's request, keeping his eyes closed. He could hear Rishid fiddling with something on his nightstand and the child shifted impatiently. "Rishid, can I look yet?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence before Rishid said, "Go ahead, Master Marik."

Marik opened his eyes, blinking in surprise as he noticed that his room was so much darker than before. He rubbed his eyes to try and adjust to the sudden darkness, but his eyes wandered to the wall and he gasped.

The room, though dark, was filled with tiny pinpoints of light. The little lights were scattered liberally across the room in no coherent pattern or form; in fact, they almost looked like…

"Stars," whispered Marik, staring around at the room in wonder. He rose to his feet and gently placed a hand on one of the points of light on the wall, smiling a bit as he noticed that the light had transferred from the wall to the back of his hand.

Marik looked away from the sight to look at his brother. "Rishid, how…?"

"Master Ishtar won't allow you back to the tunnel, and I felt terrible that I was not able to catch any of the stars for you when you asked," Rishid replied, keeping his bandaged hands hidden. "I made this for you so you could see the stars without disobeying Master Ishtar," he continued, gesturing to the carved vase that was upended over Marik's candle.

Marik wandered to the nightstand, staring at the vase. It looked like one of the jars that Ishizu used to keep herbs and spices; the top of the vase had a few larger holes in it than the rest of the tiny holes carved into the vase, which would allow the candle to breathe. A handle had been added to the top, allowing Marik to lift it up without burning his hand.

He took the sight in for one more minute, looking around the room again before a grin split his face and he launched himself at his brother. "Thank you, Rishid!" he cried ecstatically. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Rishid was startled by the abrupt reaction, but then his surprise melted into happiness. "You're welcome," he said gently, hugging Marik back. "Be sure to thank Lady Ishizu, too—she helped me with this as well."

Marik's grin grew even larger, and he released Rishid to leave the room. The golden eyed Egyptian had no doubt that the boy was going to go find his sister and he hurried out the door quickly, a slight frown marring his features. Marik was supposed to be asleep right now, and if he was caught by his father then the child would get punished.

If need be, Rishid would be the one to intercede on Marik's behalf if Master Ishtar caught them.


	3. Shadows Under the Stars

_Yeah, it's been how long since we've seen an update for this? Sorry, guys—I've been trying my hardest to get around to this._

_Here's the third part to "Catch the Stars," and a big shout out to a friend of mine in the choir. The lyrics to one of the songs she had to sing inspired this chapter…if you have the time, go to YouTube and look up "Sure on this Shining Night." Guaranteed to give you goose bumps if you listen to it._

_PS: OMG WHAT IS WITH THIS ANGST MOOD MY BUNNIES ARE IN? THEY WON'T STOP WRITING IT D:_

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Rishid looked into the room silently, the left side of his face throbbing painfully as he stared at the mess in Marik's room. The child had put up a fierce struggle earlier as he had been dragged out, but then anyone would if they had to go through what his poor younger brother had.

The room looked as if a whirlwind had slammed into it: furniture was overturned and in some instances broken, paper and objects littered the floor, bed sheets were torn from their proper place and ripped, and shards of pottery were liberally scattered on the floor. The dim lighting of the room certainly didn't help anything, giving his surroundings an almost hellish look to it.

In the middle of the mess Ishizu was sitting on the bed, holding a small and broken child in her arms and looked as if she was about to burst into tears. She kept running her hand through her brother's sand-colored hair, unable to rub his back to comfort him. Her helpless blue eyes caught Rishid's golden ones and traveled over his features, flinching when they landed on the bandages wrapped around the left side of his face.

Rishid knew what this would mean when Master Ishtar saw what he had done; in more ways than one his actions could be seen as treason. Frankly, though, he simply did not care at this point—there was no way to hide it now, even if he wanted to.

Ishizu looked like she was struggling to put together a sentence, but whatever she had been about to say was lost when Marik's pleading voice, laced with pain, whimpered, "I want to see the stars again."

Ishizu's uncertainty remained a moment longer before abruptly dissolving, rising to her feet smoothly and squaring her shoulders as she stood. There was no trace of hesitation or fear in her eyes; it had vanished entirely and she exuded a confidence that had not been there before.

Her blue eyes softened as she gently dipped her head to their younger brother. "Take care of him, _akhi,_" she said quietly to Rishid before she slipped out of the room.

Rishid did not question her tone, instead moving gingerly through the cluttered items on the floor and setting himself on the thin cot beside his brother. Marik shifted carefully, burrowing his head in his older brother's side. "They broke the vase you and Sister made me," he said softly, not looking up at him but at something on the floor.

The older Egyptian looked at the floor and saw what Marik's lavender eyes were looking at: a few shards of pottery that were carved with tiny and meticulously made holes. He chose to say nothing, gently placing one of his hands on his brother's head. The left side of his face ached, but he made himself ignore it: Marik did not need to see his discomfort.

Soft but audible footsteps in the hallway made him glance up sharply. They were hurried, and for one wild moment he was afraid that it was Master Ishtar. A few seconds later, Ishizu's slender figure appeared in the doorway. "The Guard is investigating a possible breach into the catacombs, but I cannot guarantee how long they will be gone," she said grimly. "_Akhi_, if you're going to take him to the tunnel you have to do it now."

Rishid stared at his sister mutely—she had lied to the Guard for them. Such an act was also dangerous, since Master Ishtar did not tolerate such things; then again, Ishizu was nearly invisible to their father (if he could be called that). Rishid hesitated before turning his back to Marik. "I'll carry you there, since you cannot walk that well," he said gently.

A brief pause, and then a light weight gingerly scooted along the bed and painstakingly moved onto his back; there was no way for Rishid to carry the child any other way. One of the boy's arms jarred his face and the action very nearly made a cry of pain escape him; as it was, Rishid violently flinched as he adjusted Marik's weight carefully before swiftly exiting the room, Ishizu close behind him as they moved through the dim halls.

Rishid found the tunnel easily enough—he passed by here more often lately because of Master Ishtar's tasks. He slipped through the familiar entrance cautiously, his eyes watching the shadows warily; Ishizu's own eyes were flickering in the torchlight as she too scanned her surroundings. If one of the Guard found them here no amount of explaining would spare them.

Rishid relaxed when he saw no one in the darkness, crossing into the chamber and onto the moonlit sand. He knelt down and Marik's grip loosened, his body almost melting to the sand as the boy slid off. Ishizu came alongside Marik's other side as Rishid sat down beside his young charge, watching his brother silently as the child's gaze immediately went up to the sky above them.

An indeterminable amount of time passed before Marik slowly lifted his hands upward, stifling a whimper as he reached for the opening above them. He struggled to keep his hands up, his facial expression a combination of pain and yearning as he looked at the stars.

Rishid felt his heart painfully clench as the dim memory of a younger Marik entered his mind; there was such a difference in between that time and the present, and it hurt him deeply that he could do nothing to change this situation. Ishizu's tortured gaze spoke the same thought, he noticed, when he looked over at his sister. The young girl looked completely at a loss; the confidence that had bolstered her enough to lie to the Guard had left in the wake of her younger brother's silent desperation.

One of Marik's hands wavered and nearly dropped, but the child was obviously trying to keep his hands up as long as he could in spite of the pain that had to be nearly crippling him at this point. The frustrated tears gathering in the boy's lavender eyes spoke as much.

Rishid hesitated for only a second, and then he found that one of his own hands was going to Marik's the same time that his sister's hand moved. Together, the two elder Ishtars gripped their brother's hands gently as they lifted them back up to the stars, holding them there. His shoulder began to ache minutes later, but he ignored it; he would hold this child's hand up for as long as he could possibly manage, and the determination on his sister's face mirrored his.

Not one of the three Egyptians spoke the entire time they sat in that patch of moonlit sand. There was nothing _to _say that had not been spoken already—but their identical sentiments were expressed louder than words could ever describe on their faces.

If there was ever a moment in which reality could be altered, it would be so that the three siblings could be anywhere but their underground prison.


	4. Gift of Starlight

_OMG WHAT, AN UPDATE FOR THIS FIC?_

_…My bunnies remembered this fic, as I was recently reminiscing about my childhood and happened to share a certain belief that Marik has in this particular chapter. __This is set way back in Marik's toddler years…again. I like toddler!Marik, what can I say? Admit it, you guys like bitty little Marik too, chubby cheeks and all :D_

* * *

"Shizu?"

A small hand shook Ishizu's shoulder awkwardly, causing her to open her eyes; the distressed note to her youngest brother's voice was a fairly good incentive to get her awake. She gingerly rolled over and sat up on the cot, blinking back the sleep before glancing at a nearby candle to gauge the time. "Marik, it's well past your bedtime," she chided, stifling a yawn as she studied the child. "Why are you up?"

The boy looked up at him from beneath his bangs with wide lavender eyes, his small face holding an expression of alarm. His hands were clasped together in front of him "Shizu, hewp me," he said anxiously, looking back down at his hands. "Buggys haf sta-wer in it."

Ishizu blinked. "…What?"

"De buggys haf sta-wers inside, 'Shizu," repeated the three year old impatiently, shoving his clasped hands forward for his sister's inspection. "Sta-wer s'pposed to be up in de sky, but buggy eated it. I caughted one," he added helpfully.

The black-haired girl studied the thoroughly upset child for a moment before prying his hands open; this was done in some trepidation, because the last time Marik had captured a "buggy" it had turned out to be a scorpion and had nearly stung the child before Rishid had gotten rid of it (she thanked whatever deity watching over them that her father had not witnessed this). At first she could not see anything because of the dim lighting of the room, but then a soft glow emanated from the palm of Marik's hand and she suddenly understood.

"See?" asked the child, looking dangerously close to tears. "Make buggy spit de sta-wer out."

"Oh Marik," said Ishizu with a small (and admittedly relieved) laugh, ruffling his hair affectionately. "There isn't a star inside the insect."

The toddler looked up at him with a look that clearly indicated he thought otherwise. "Why it glow like sta-wer?"

"That is because this is a firefly," replied his sister patiently.

"Fi-fwy?"

"Yes. Fireflies glow like stars, but they do not actually have stars inside them," Ishizu explained, watching as her brother's hands folded back over the insect to keep it in his hand.

Marik's face scrunched up in thought as he mulled over his answer. "Dey haf fi-wer in dem?" he asked at last.

Ishizu repressed a sigh. "No, Marik. They are called fireflies because it looks like they have fire in them. They do not, though."

"But why dey glow?"

It was at times like these she wished Rishid was there to explain. Her older brother was a master story teller and often times could find ways to relate questions like these to Marik's understanding. Right now, however, Rishid was utterly exhausted and she hated to wake him up for something like this.

A sudden stroke of inspiration struck her and she said, "Remember how Rishid told you that stars were the skies candles?"

The child's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically, gazing at his sister with rapt attention.

"Well, the fireflies did not always glow. They were down here with us, forced to find their way through the dark," she began. "They often times got lost because they did not know where they were and they would become separated from their friends and families."

Marik's lavender eyes rounded in alarm.

"But," she continued, smiling at him warmly, "the stars were watching these poor fireflies and they took pity on them. They decided that they would give the fireflies light to guide them, just as they guided the moon into the sky every night. So every star gave up a small bit of themselves and transferred it to the fireflies, and ever since the fireflies have used this gift to light their way."

The toddler's eyes lit up. "So…fi-fwies don' haf sta-wers t'apped inside?"

"That's right. Their glow is a gift from the stars," she explained, stifling a yawn.

Marik looked back to his folded hands before opening them slowly. A second later Ishizu caught a glimpse of the firefly as it took flight, the small insect briefly lighting up before disappearing out into the hallway.

The child rubbed his eyes sleepily and Ishizu slipped out of her cot to scoop the three year old into her arms. "Come, Marik," she said gently, her smile growing when the child snuggled against her. "We'd best get you back to bed. It's way past your bed time."

Marik said nothing as his sister carried him back down the hallway and into his room, but as she was tucking him in he looked up at her with sleep-clouded eyes and asked groggily, "If I asked de sta-wers, would dey give me sta-wight too?"

Ishizu paused, uncertain how to answer such a question, but then Marik's eyes slipped closed and his breathing evened out—he was fast asleep. She smiled sadly at the child and kissed his forehead before tiptoeing out of the room.

If there was ever a child who deserved a gift such as that, it would be Marik.


	5. Handful of Stars

_Welp, it took me a bit to round up some Ishtar plot bunnies, but I've got an update at last for this story (AHAHAHA I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN IT) and I even managed to get it up in time—this was written for _The Duelist's Heiress _because __it's her birthday today. _

_This one is set sometime after the previous chapter and references it a bit. Happy birthday, TDH, and I hope you enjoy this humble present!_

* * *

"Wishid, Wishid!"

He jumped when something barreled into his legs and he looked down. Marik was beaming up at him and giggling madly, cradling a medium-sized clay pot to his chest. He had not seen Marik all day and had been on his way to bed when Marik had bumped into him; normally Rishid would have been the one watching over the child, but today Master Ishtar had put him to work clearing out an old storeroom and he was thoroughly exhausted. "And what are you up to?" he asked, a smile spreading across his features. "You're supposed to be in bed."

"I has bifday p'esent fo' you," Marik announced proudly, holding the pot up for his brother's inspection.

It wasn't even close to his birthday yet—and he was not even sure that the date he used as his birthday was his actual one—but Rishid was still touched by the gesture. Most of the time his birthday came and went without much notice, primarily because Master Ishtar refused to pay attention to them (though Ishizu made a point of giving something to Rishid every time his birthday came around).

The smile faded and Rishid eyed the pot warily. "Is it a buggy?" he asked, using Marik's word for insects. He was remembering the last time Marik had tried giving a present (the scorpion incident had not yet been forgotten).

Marik's face scrunched into a thoughtful frown as he mulled over his older brother's question. "'Shizu says dey no buggy," he said after a brief pause.

Ah. So that meant he _was_ dealing with "buggy." But if Ishizu had allowed Marik to keep the pot and whatever was inside then it had to mean it was all right—unless she didn't know about it.

"Well then, let's see what it is," he said at last, holding his hand out to Marik.

The child carefully deposited the pot into his hand. "Lookie but no let dem 'scape," said Marik firmly.

Rishid chuckled. "Of course. I won't let them go…whatever they might be," he added, slowly opening the lid to peer inside.

He couldn't see anything at first but then he saw one, then another light blink in the darkness of the pot. It took him a moment before he realized what he was looking at. "They're fireflies," he said, startled. He wondered where Marik had found them, as fireflies down here were a rare occurrence; he'd only seen one once as a young child and his mother had to explain to him what they were.

Marik beamed at him. "'Shizu says dey haf sta-wers in dem," he said helpfully. "I catch sta-wers fo' Wishid. Happy bifday!"

It took him a moment to process this statement, but when he did he gave the boy a genuine smile. "Thank you, Marik," he said, reaching out to ruffle the child's hair affectionately. He scooped the toddler into his arms and then bent down to pick up the pot, taking care not to jostle the lid. "Now let's get you to bed."

Marik yawned and took the pot from Rishid so that his brother could hold him easier, then snuggled up against him with the pot clutched to his chest. "I hode sta-wers fo' you. Nigh' nigh'," he said sleepily.

Rishid chuckled and then started down the passageway to put Marik to bed. He was certain that Marik was misconstruing something Ishizu had told him, but he did not have the heart to tell Marik that the fireflies weren't stars; he would release the fireflies later (though he'd make sure the child understood why).

But was the thought that counted, and that was what mattered to Rishid.


End file.
